Hello everyone
Along with the mists and mellow fruitfulness and the declining hours of daylight comes a sense of reflectiveness. Gaia House begins its month of solitary retreats and here our sangha offers a variety of events and activities to help us reflect upon and deepen our practice.
We look forward to our Autumn day retreat with Bhante Bodhidhamma. This retreat is for both those experienced and those beginning in meditation and may be of particular interest to practitioners of mindfulness. Bhante Bodhidhamma will be considering the extent to which mindfulness practice should be connected to the Dhamma, the teaching of the Buddha. For further details please see the Teacher-Led Day Retreats section below.
The Cultivating our Practice part of our Tuesday sit continues apace with dharma-themed work, relational practice, walking meditation and a recorded dharma talk on this month's schedule. We also have a sangha walk this month taking a path through some of the more green and leafy areas within and around the city. The walk is a wonderful opportunity to socially connect with others, with our social and natural environs and to engage in mindful walking.
An important way for us to develop our sangha is to openly share our experiences of our practice and of our individual and collective responses to the dharma. Please send us your ideas, reflections on retreats, poems, thoughts on practice and reviews of books or dharma talks that you have found helpful. This month we thank Nick, Mannie and Chris for their contributions. All contributions are welcome and help to make this newsletter a lively channel for supporting practice.
Wishing you well
Mike
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Our Regular Events
Tuesday Evening Sitting Group 7.30pm to 9.30pm
Central Quaker Meeting House, Champion Square, Bristol BS2 9DB
Please contact Jill on 0117 955 1360 if you need help to find or reach the venue.
The evening is as follows:
45 minutes meditation
Tea break
Cultivating our Practice
Please arrive at 19:15 for a 19:30 sit. Please arrive on time.We now have a supply of mats but no cushions as yet, so please bring your own if you like to use one.
Recommended donation
£5.00 waged
£3.00 unwaged
Donations of packets of tea and biscuits are invited.
November Dates for Sitting Group
Tuesday 1
Tuesday 8
Tuesday 15
Tuesday 22
Tuesday 29
Self-Led Day Retreats
Saturday 5th November 10am to 5pm
Venue: Horfield Quaker Meeting House
300 Gloucester Road
Bristol
BS7 8PD
The day consists of alternating 45-minute periods of silent sitting and walking meditation, with a recorded talk before a pause for lunch. The warmth of the silence becomes supportive and enables us to be with ourselves, and others we’re with, without being distracted. The common experience expressed by many who take part is how a few hours of practice in this way brings us to a place of spaciousness and stillness in our busy, daily lives. You are welcome to join us in this quiet, spacious venue.
As one participant recently shared, ‘practicing together is very supportive and helps to sustain me in my practice’.
We are very supportive of newcomers joining us; whether not-so-experienced or more experienced, you are equally welcome. Please get in touch if you would like to know more.
Please arrive promptly at 10am to allow time to be settled to begin at 10:15am. Bring a mat, cushion, or stool and a vegetarian contribution to a shared lunch. Chairs available if you prefer.
Cost: £15.00 (£7.50 concessions)
If you wish to find out more or confirm your place, please contact David Ringsell by email or Max Beseke on 07581 127 734 or you’re very welcome to turn up on the day.
Dates for 2016:
5th November
3rd December
Daytime Sangha Meetings
Wednesday 30th November at Gordon's place from 10.30 to 12.30
These once a month meetings are open to all, and give an additional daytime opportunity to get together in a small group in a spirit of sangha. The meeting will include a period of sitting meditation, some sharing, and discussion on any topics of mutual interest arising.
Gordon’s place: Flat 3, 73 Somerville Road, Bristol, BS7 9AE telephone: 0117 908 0494
Reminder: Please let Gordon know in advance if you are planning to come to the meeting.
Please phone Gordon on 0117 908 0494 or email him for any further information about the group.
Focusing Group
November 13th 10am to 1pm
We meet at Chardstock Avenue in Coombe Dingle, near Blaise Castle.
(Chardstock Avenue is about a 20 minute drive, or 40 minute cycle from the centre of town).
Meetings are on the second Sunday of the month for the rest of the year – so mark the dates in your diary if you’d like to plan ahead to come! All meetings will be at Jan & Tim’s unless otherwise stated.
November 13th
December 11th
Please book in advance if you want to come to the meetings – the maximum for Jan & Tim’s is now 10 people.
If you'd like to attend please contact Gordon to book a place: gordonadam@blueyonder.co.uk or tel/text 07796 087351.
The group is an open group, where people new to Focusing as well as more experienced Focusers can meet and Focus together. The format consists of an initial introduction round, short group meditation, Focusing demo & question time (when appropriate), Focusing time in 2's or 3's, group sharing /questions. Beginners will be given an introduction and demo prior to Focusing.
The group is facilitated by Gordon Adam, a qualified and experienced BFA (British Focusing Association) recognised Focusing Practitioner. Monthly meetings will be on the second Sunday of each month.
Please phone Gordon on 0117 908 0494 or email for any further information.
For information about Focusing, including articles, courses and links to various focusing websites, see the British Focusing Teachers (BFTA) website.
If you did not catch Gordon's article: Focusing & Insight Meditation: an experiential comparison, you can read it here.
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Teacher-Led Day Retreats
Mindfulness, Ethics and Daily Life
Saturday 26th November
Bhante Bodhidhamma
Mindfulness, Ethics and Daily Life
Is Mindfulness now a cliché? How far has it gone from the Buddhas teaching from which it sprang and is it important that mindfulness be connected to the Dhamma, the teaching of the Buddha?
Bhante Bodhidhamma started training in Soto Zen in 1977, then in the Mahasi Theravada Tradition with Sayadaws U Rewata Dhamma, U Janaka and U Pandita. In 1986 he ordained, subsequently spending eight years at Kanduboda Mahasi Meditation Centre in Sri Lanka. He has been teaching in England, Ireland and internationally since 1998. From 2001- 2005, he was the Resident Teacher at Gaia House. He founded the Satipanya Buddhist Retreat in Wales, a meditation centre devoted to the Mahasi tradition. |
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For more information about Bhante Bodhidhamma and Satipanya click here
To make a booking for this Day Retreat go to http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2553363
For general information about our retreats please visit our website.
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News
Cultivating our Practice
Our aim is not perfection but more participation and support for practice within our lives.
We have now completed the consultation period for the Tuesday night sitting group review. This has included taking note of the many suggestions from the group over three consultation sessions as well as suggestions sent via our email. Thank you for all the contributions you have made and for helping to reshape what we do on Tuesday night. As a result of the consultation our experimental three- monthly rolling programme of activities started this October. The success of this programme depends entirely upon enough sangha members engaging to help organise the various activities. Please consider helping if you can to make these activities happen and to be an enriching and nourishing experience for people at all levels including beginners. Our aim is not perfection but more participation and support for practice within our lives.
We have decided to call the time after our formal meditation sit "Cultivating our Practice". The activities for November are as follows:
1st Nov. Mindful Sharing.
8th Nov. Dharma themed work e.g. Five Hindrances, Four Brahma Viharas, Seven Factors of Awakening, Three Characteristics etc.
15th Nov. Relational Practice
29th Nov. Walking meditation
22nd Nov. Recorded Dharma talk/discussion
For a full calendar of activities for Tuesday nights click here.
Jill and Mike
Interest Groups
On 25th October at the Tuesday sit we had our first session on the setting up of Interest Groups. In some sanghas these are known as Kalyana Mitta (Spiritual Friendship) groups. The idea is to develop a particular dimension of practice within an ongoing and self-organising group. There was considerable interest and many groups were suggested.
1) Sutta Exploration
Jill and possibly Mike (co-ordinators ) To meet either in homes or by splitting the 2nd half Sangha in two and hiring the small Meeting House room for say, four consecutive weeks. This way we could run two Interest Groups at once. We could also present our findings to the rest of the Sangha at the end.
2) Insightful Ageing
Ray (Co-ordinator) to communicate with lady from London who has experience from London Insight. Once a month, outside Tuesday night slot and then occasional report back to whole Sangha.
3) Community Engagement
Julia and Ben are open to a range of ideas from the whole Sangha for one-off activities (e.g. litter picking) through to longer term relationships with charities such as St. Mungo’s (tackling homelessness.) Ideas are evolving.
4) Brahmavihara Culitivation
Becky and Dominique are to have a discussion on how to take this forward. There was also a strong feeling that the benefits of Catherine McGee’s course ‘Passion and Dispassion’ had generated a boost in practice and Sangha, so this needs to be maintained. Meet once a month.
5) Grand/Parenting and Practice
This idea is valued and needs to kept on the list but possibly not acted on right away. Discussions with Claire??
6) Book Reading: ‘Seeing that Frees’ by Rob Burbea
Max (Co-ordinator) would like to have some incentive to actually read the book. An electronic discussion group whilst reading and practising from this amazing book.
The Next Steps
The next step is to engage in Informal and email conversations to firm up viable ideas. These are to take place between co-ordinators and possibly others. Groups can advertise here on the newsletter if wished giving basic information, times, contacts and venues.
Jill and Mike
An Opportunity: Engaging our Practice through Service.
Are you interested in serving our local community and bringing the dharma alive in useful social contexts? Following the AGM sangha meeting earlier this year a few of us (Julia, Jeremy & Ben) are keen to identify what this might look like. There is an opportunity to get together during the evening on Tuesday 25th (after the tea break as one of the special interest groups that will be meeting that evening) and again during the tea break on the 2nd of November to pool ideas and pick one to run with. If you can't make these dates then email benbywater@gmail.com to share your thoughts ahead of time and hear about what was agreed. Thanks. Julia
Sangha Walk
Sangha Walk – St Werburghs, Purdown & Eastville Park – Saturday 12th November
View across Purdown with the Dower House in the background, Duchess Pond in the middle,
and the M32 to the right
In this car-free city green space walk, we will start at St Andrews Park, go through St Werburghs following a path along the railway line, up Boiling Wells Lane, up and around the big open Purdown space, then under the M32 and through to the cafe at Snuff Mills for a tea break. We will then follow the River Frome down through Eastville Park and then back into St Werburghs, ending with lunch at the St Weburghs City Farm café.
The walk is fairly gentle and should take 2-3 hours depending on our pace and how long we break for tea. We should get to the city farm for about 1pm. Gordon will lead the walk.
Meet at St Andrews Park (by the entrance near the park toilets at the junction of Sommerville Road and Melita Road) at 10am. Please let Gordon know by Friday evening if you are planning to come on the walk.
Tel. 0779 6087351 or gordonadam@blueyonder.co.uk
Please let Gordon know by 6pm of Friday if you are planning to come on the walk and whether you can offer a lift from Bristol. gordonadam@blueyonder.co.uk or 0779 6087351.
Offers of walks in December are invited. It would be great to keep the walks going right through the year.
Please contact Gordon if you would like to lead a walk in the months ahead. Tel. 0779 6087351 or gordonadam@blueyonder.co.uk
Introductory Course
Bristol Insight are delighted to be offering another introductory course in February 2017.
The aim of this short course is to introduce people to the basics of Insight Meditation – enough to get started.
The course covers the practicalities of posture, breathing, sitting and walking meditation as well as exploration of the experience of meditation: how it can be beneficial for ourselves and for others. It will be led by members of Bristol Insight.
Tuesday evenings: Feb 21, Feb 28, March 7 and March 14.
7:30pm – 9:30pm
Venue: Central Quaker Meeting House, Champion Square, Bristol BS2 9DB
Cost: £20.00 - concessions may be available.
Please contact Mannie on 07952 662 552 or mannieburn@aol.com or Jill Bird on 01179 551360 if you are interested to find out more or book a place.
I loved the wonderful friendly atmosphere you created, the many inspiring forms of practice and ideas, and the absolute peace and feeling of support within the group. Jenny Wilson; participant in 2015.
Becoming a Supporter of Bristol Insight
If you would like to get more involved in Bristol Insight you might want to consider becoming a Supporter. ‘Supporters’ support the objectives of Bristol Insight as a charity and their development, they also can elect trustees or stand for election as a trustee. You can find out more about being a supporter here. Please return to this newsletter if you want to register. All you need to do is to update your MailChimp details known as 'preferences' and click the supporter button. We will then make sure you are kept up to date with developments and trustee meetings.
Trustee meetings
The dates for the trustee meetings for the whole year and also the next Annual Sangha Celebration Day have been set, please add them to your diary. If at any time you have anything you would like to have discussed please email us beforehand and we will aim to include it on the agenda of the next meeting and then get back to you.. You are invited to come along to the January meeting if you would like to, again just let us know and we will send you details. The dates are:
Wednesday 11th January 2017, 7-9.30pm - open to all supporters please let us know if you want to come.
Wednesday 24th May 2017
Saturday 24th June 2017 Annual Sangha Celebration Day incorporating our AGM
Wednesday 12th July 2017
Please get in touch with any of us at any time. We will be back in touch in the next few months.
Warm wishes
Mike, Max, Jill, Mannie, Jonathan, Chris and Julia, our current trustees
Bristol Insight Virtual Sitting Group
Bristol Insight virtual sitting group using the Insight Timer app is another way to sustain practice. Insight Timer is an affordable app that acts as a meditation timer, log and social network, and we hold a Bristol Insight Meditation group on this app. Just ask to join, and then elect to show members on your 'Everyone' and 'Friends' tabs. You will then be able to see when other members of the sangha are meditating, and virtually meditate together from home. You can also send messages to the group; recent messages include comments on teacher-led day retreats or sharing insights from teacher-led courses.
Supporting Rob Burbea
Many of you are aware that Rob, resident teacher at Gaia House, has been receiving treatment for cancer of the pancreatic duct (ampulla) for several months. He is now approaching the end of a 6-month chemotherapy course offered by the NHS. Having explored the various options open to him, it has become clear that he will need to embark on treatments outside of the NHS for any chance of a better prognosis. These come with significant costs, and his supporters are reaching out to everyone in the community to see what we can raise together. If you would like to support him, please see the new donating page on the website for a fuller explanation.
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Contributions from our Sangha
The way rocks listen to the sea
I am reading 'Listening to the Heart' by Kittisaro and Thanissara. In a chapter called 'The grit becomes the pearl' they talk about how we can approach our pain and suffering by opening to it and becoming a 'soft and sturdy home in which real things can land'. They explain that this quote comes from a poem by Mark Nepo. I looked it up and thought others might like to read it. I love the bit quoted in the book and also what I take to be a call for insight practice:
So we can talk for a while
but then we must listen,
the way rocks listen to the sea.
Here is the whole poem:
Having loved enough and lost enough,
I’m no longer searching
just opening,
no longer trying to make sense of pain
but trying to be a soft and sturdy home
in which real things can land.
These are the irritations
that rub into a pearl.
So we can talk for a while
but then we must listen,
the way rocks listen to the sea.
And we can churn at all that goes wrong
but then we must lay all distractions
down and water every living seed.
And yes, on nights like tonight
I too feel alone. But seldom do I
face it squarely enough
to see that it’s a door
into the endless breath
that has no breather,
into the surf that human
shells call God(dess)
– Mark Nepo
Contributed by Mannie Burn
I have nothing to report
My hut lies in the middle of a dense forest.
Every year the green ivy grows longer.
No news of the affairs of men.
Only the occasional song of a woodcutter.
The sun shines and I mend my robe.
When the moon comes out I read Buddhist poems.
I have nothing to report my friends.
If you want to find the meaning, stop chasing
after so many things.
Ryokan
Contributed by Nick Naydler
I often return to this picture and reflect upon its possible significance. The photograph depicts a burnt down Buddhist temple in Indonesia; the result of extreme religious intolerance. The image is compelling however as it seems to convey much more than the destructiveness of extremism. In a poignant manner it reminds us of the reality of impermanence and that our most beloved and seemingly solid institutions are vulnerable to the same inevitable change as everything else. The image also vividly conveys the destructiveness that results from our clinging to national, religious and cultural identities. It seems that our attempts to grasp in order to maintain a fixed and solid sense of self inevitably lead to suffering. Above it all sits the Buddha compassionately holding out the possibility of a more skillful engagement with life. Our practice seems to offer a way to sit lightly with such identities and through insight to realise that, in the last analysis, there is nothing to hold on to. In the words of the Buddha:
" If nothing is found there to hold to, this is the end to the underlying tendency to wanting more and more, to ill-will, clinging to views, doubt, conceit, becoming and ignorance. This is the end of resorting to weapons, quarrels, disputes and revenge"
(The Discourse on the Honeyball. Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha 18)
Contributed by Mike
Saratoga Sangha
Over September I was in Saratoga, California, looking after our new granddaughter. I discovered that Insight Meditation South Bay (IMSB) had a small sangha there within a bike-ride of my son's home, so I had a related group to go to!
IMSB was founded ten years ago by meditation teacher Shaila Catherine, in the Silicon Valley town of Mountain View. It has given rise to two related sanghas (sanghae?) at San Jose and Saratoga, both in 'the Valley'. Shaila Catherine is a Dhamma teacher with with over twenty-five years of practice, nine of them silent. Her name brought blank looks when I mentioned her to some at BIM, but she is well known amongst others 'in the field', especially the jhana-centric folk who highly value her two books on jhana-related meditation. She has lead retreats at Gaia House too.
The Saratoga sangha is around two years old and so is still establishing itself and its shortfall is met by IMSB. A typical meeting has a 45 minute sit followed by a Dharma talk (no tea and biscuits and everybody stays to the end!). The talks are prepared and the topics can be found on the website. They are currently working through the Eightfold Path. When I was there they had just started on the Four Noble Truths. Shaila takes the classes on alternate weeks and the quality of teaching is inspiring.
Should we wish it, Shaila would be happy to do a one-day retreat with us when she is next in UK.
Contributed by Chris Makepeace
Please send us your ideas, poems, thoughts on practice, reflections upon retreats, books, talks and images that you have found helpful to Bristol Insight with a subject heading of "Newsletter". All contributions are welcome and help to make this newsletter a lively channel for supporting practice.
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Adverts and events from other related organisations
Anandwan - The Forest of Bliss.
A retreat into the Power of Love
In December / January we will be offering our annual meditation in action retreat at Anandwan, a leprosy community in central India. This is a unique opportunity to explore the power of generosity, compassion and community, and to deepen our understandings and practice. At SanghaSeva we feel that meditation is not just a solitary, silent and still practice, but is a living, dynamic and integrating part of a wholistic life.
We feel that at least once in a human llife everyone should spend some time in the forest of bliss (the literal meaning of Anandwan). Join us on this retreat and lets cultivate our capacity to stay steady in the face of suffering. A capacity that allows us to open to our shared humanity and the power of the human heart. Something our world is calling out for.
Anandwan is not only a leprosy community it has become a home for all people who are not fully integrated into society; the physically and mentally disabled, the visually and hearing impaired, as well as any diseases or illnesses that other places can't accommodate.
Baba Amte, the founder of Anandwan, used to say:
"The joy in Anandwan is more infectious than the dis-ease in Anandwan."
We warmly invite you to come and experience this for yourself.Come and be blown away by one of the most beautiful places on planet earth. Even though we come to help, experience shows we'll receive more than we can ever give, by simply sharing life together.
For more information about the retreat please visit: SanghaSeva.org
New Year Focusing Retreat – with Gordon Adam & Kay Hoffmann
Poulstone Court Retreat Centre, Herefordshire, UK
28th December 2016 – 2nd January 2017
Footbridge over the River Wye near Poulstone Court
This 5-day retreat will offer an opportunity for rest, reflection and renewal at the year’s end after the busyness of Christmas. We aim to provide a safe, supportive and nourishing environment, with space to form a deeper connection with yourself, with others and with nature. The retreat is open to people of all levels of Focusing experience.
This retreat, for up to 25 people, and with 3 large group spaces, enables us to offer different sessions simultaneously, to meet different needs or interests. Kay will be offering daily morning sessions in Wholebody Focusing, while Gordon will offer daily input on a number of Focusing themes as well as teaching and support for inexperienced Focusers.
Other features include: space for two Focusing sessions each day; group meditations; daily yoga & qigong sessions; opportunity for personal space and silence; daily silent group walks; group sharing sessions; dance and movement; vegetarian meals; good company; New Year celebration.
Poulstone Court is a large Victorian country house set in the heart of the beautiful Herefordshire countryside, only 10 minutes walk from the River Wye. The house is warm and comfortable and has been a retreat centre for many years. Both the house and the surroundings are tranquil, spacious, and supportive of silence and deepening.
Accommodation is mainly in shared (2-4 bed) rooms, but there are several single rooms available at slightly higher cost. Poulstone Court is a 75 minute drive from Bristol or a 3 hour drive from London. The nearest railway station is at Hereford, a 30 minute drive from Poulstone Court.
For further details see www.poulstone.com
For further information, including costs and booking details, see the retreat flyer attachment (with photos) to this email or this link
The retreat is now only 10 weeks away and is already filling up. If you would like to join us contact Kay kay.hoffmann@homecall.co.uk for a booking form. Bookings will be accepted on completion of a booking form and receipt of a £100 deposit.
Gaia House News
Coordinator Vacancies
Over the last few weeks we have had the pleasure of welcoming three new coordinators to our team: Natalie Smith and Bill Ball have joined our Kitchen department, and Henry Wilcox has started in Reception. There is currently an opportunity to join our team as a Garden Coordinator, and as all periods of service are for a maximum of two years, positions become available on a regular basis. If you are interested in any of these roles you can find more information here.
Join the Friends of Gaia House
By becoming a Friend of Gaia House you are celebrating our inspiring community and becoming a partner in our commitment to enhancing health and well-being through meditation.
It is an opportunity to be involved in our work and help shape our plans to ensure that people will continue to be able to benefit from our offering in the future.
Whether you are interested in offering service as a volunteer, making a regular donation or staying at the edge to watch what’s going on and maybe dipping into Friends activities at a later date, please feel welcome to join, however you wish to contribute your support. For further information please visit here.
Bristol Insight Dialogue: Autumn Program 2016
Weekly Wednesday evenings: 7-9pm. November 9, 16, 23, 30. December 7. Fulcrum House, 3 Grove Road, Bristol, BS6 6UJ.
Insight Dialogue Weekend retreat : 1st and 2nd October With Phyllis Hicks from the Metta Foundation Oddfellows Hall Bristol Email us for registration details.
Anyone with an established Buddhist or contemplative meditation practice is welcome. A donation is given to share the cost of the room and to support the Metta Foundation and Furnace Mountain Zen Centre, who function solely on the basis of dana/donation. The groups are facilitated by Jane Cutler and Jane Whitehead, who have attended retreats and facilitator workshops with Gregory Kramer since 2008. For more information, go to www.metta.org. Gregory Kramer’s book, “Insight Dialogue, The Interpersonal Path to Freedom” gives a full and inspiring introduction to the practice.
Phone or email to book a place, space is limited.
The Bristol Zen Centre www.bristolzen.org Tel:0117 9632505 Email: bristolzencentre@gmail.com
Writing a Letter To Your Breath
Free workshop to explore your relationship with your breath! Writing a Letter To Your Breath, Wednesday December 7th, 1.15-3.15pm, Bristol . Elspeth Penny, with her letter-writing rack, unusual pens, inks and inspiration will guide you to write, create or draw a letter to your breath. You’ll be led through a playful progression of games and exercises, then create your letter. Elspeth is an arts and health specialist, a writer, director and actor for film, tv and theatre and draws widely on her experiences in this activity (www.2buproductions.org).This workshop will contribute to the Life of Breath study http://www.lifeofbreath.org. Booking Required: Contact Elspeth on elspeth@2buproductions.co.uk. Please see attached poster for venue and booking details.
Dharma Action Network for Climate Engagement (DANCE)
 All are welcome to join our small and friendly group. We are part of the UK network of D.A.N.C.E (Dharma Action Network for Climate Engagement), which provides connections and explorations around a breadth of possible Dharma responses to climate change and related issues. http://www.thedancewebsite.org/
We meet roughly once a month to share our reactions and responses to climate change and related issues that touch us. There are also opportunities to plan and contribute to projects in Bristol and beyond. If you are planning to come, or for further info. contact Julia at julia.wallond@yahoo.com. We have a facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/bristoldharmaaction/
Bristol DANCE Film Screening and mindful post-film discussion:
A powerful film about the climate crisis and what we can do about it.
All welcome to a screening by Bristol Dharma Action Group of “This Changes Everything”. Naomi Klein’s informative and inspiring film about the greatest challenge of our times. It will be followed by a space for reflection and response.
Thursday 17th November, 7-9.45pm at the Wild Goose Space, 228 Mina Rd, Bristol BS2 9YP.
Donations to cover costs.
Find us on our Facebook page: Bristol Dharma Action Group
Email: bristoldharmaaction@gmail.com
"Klein and Lewis paint a picture of a post-fossil-fueled, post-capitalist future that seems not only within reach, but like a place where we actually want to live”
– YES Magazine
https://thefilm.thischangeseverything.org/about/
Contact for further info: mailto:julia.wolland@yahoo.com
Bristol White Clouds Sangha
The Bristol White Clouds Sangha meets on the first and third Wednesday of every month for mindfulness meditation practice in the tradition of Zen Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh. All welcome!
We gather together at 7:15pm for a 7:30pm start in the Library at the Friends Meeting House, 126 Hampton Road, Redland, Bristol, BS6 6JE
For more information please contact Jonathan Edwards
Bath Buddhist Group
We meet weekly for meditation practice, talks and discussion, with speakers from the main schools of Buddhism.
Thursdays at 7:45 pm (for a 8:00 pm start)
Scout Headquarters, 7 Grove Street, Bath.
See the website for further details of our programme. All welcome.
Bath Insight Meditation
Fridays 6pm-8pm
John Williams Room at Bath Central United Reform Church, Grove Street, Bath BA2 6PJ
We start with 45mins sitting/walking meditation followed by tea, a discussion then a short meditation.
All are welcome to join us. Chairs are provided. Please bring a cushion or stool if you prefer.
Please phone Sue on 07929 842776 if you would like any further information.
Worldwide Insight Teachings Online
Worldwide Insight is a Dharma practice group that you can join from anywhere in the world. Each Sunday, renowned Insight Meditation teachers, including several from Gaia House, offer meditation instruction, teachings, and live Q&A on video.
Worldwide Insight functions just like city-based Insight Meditation groups around the world, but you can attend from anywhere. Worldwide Insight covers the whole globe, yet delivers the dharma right to you.
We are committed to a broad and diverse Dharma offering:
- Sunday sessions with Dharma teachers with diverse backgrounds and cultural perspectives
- A range of both world-renowned teachers and lesser known voices
Teachings you don’t hear on retreats: Bringing Dharma wisdom to daily life themes such as work, relationships, sex, communication, culture, ecology and consumerism, as well as ethics, meditation and the liberation of the heart.
Teachings are offered on the basis of dana, inviting you to support the teachers you value and the practice you love.
Worldwide Insight meets every Sunday at 7pm UK time for 90 minutes.
Signup here.
https://us11.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/wizard/neapolitan?id=1109477#
Dharma Seed
Since the early 1980's, Dharma Seed has collected and distributed dharma talks by teachers transmitting the Vipassana or Insight practices of Theravada Buddhism, the oldest Buddhist tradition still actively pursued in the 21st century. We began copying cassette tapes in the 1980s, added CDs in the 1990s, and in 2006 we moved to make all our recordings freely offered and available for download or streaming as digital audio files (MP3s). New recordings are being added continuously from contemporary dharma teachers from around the world and in several languages. For further information and access to talks go to dharmaseed.org
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